Waiting for the Rain to Never Fall
by Silver Kagami
Summary: It's been eleven years since the defeat yet the dog lord Sesshoumaru is still as cold as ever. But when he finds himself needing to cooperate with the least likely of allies, could it be that his heart is changing for the better?
1. Prologue

Eleven years have passed since the triumphant defeat of the devious half-demon Naraku. Since then, the winds of change have blown strong across the land. The band of warriors known as the InuYasha gumi has since separated. Relationships have blossomed and new life has begun.

InuYasha and Kagome have a set of two children, Reina and SukoshiInu. They are a set of 8-year-old twins, though as different as night and day. Reina, the girl, is just as headstrong as her father is. Most of her demon blood went to outside appearance, making her seem more dog than she truly is. Her brother, Suko, is more timid and takes after their mother. He doesn't like to fight, unlike his sister. Where Reina gets into trouble, Suko is there to pull her right back out again.

Sango and Miroku have three children, two girls and a boy. The oldest of them, Arainame, is at the age of 9 years, and already heavy in training. Though her mother is a demon slayer, Arai has decided to follow the path of the beast tamer. Her younger brother, Kohaku, was named after their uncle. Even at the age of 7, he has, unfortunately, picked up some of the same habits as his father, much to Sango's displeasure. The youngest, a little 3-year-old girl named Kaho, is as cute as could be, and already shows the same talent that's runs in her family blood.

Shippou is now old enough to embark on relationships of his own. He is currently courting a young female kitsune, Ashibayai. They live around the demon slayer's village, which by now has been well-restored. The two are not mates yet, but do have the responsibility of looking after Ashi's younger brother, Shiroi, who has a certain nose for trouble.

Outside of the gumi, others have changed as well. The wolf-tribe leader Kouga has taken up Ayame as a mate. The pair has several children, and they occasionally see the gumi now and then. Kouga's tribe has merged with Ayame's, and so he is once again leader of a strong clan. But this story tells of another's journey, even from them.

Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Land, has not changed much in himself as of yet. The young girl Rin is now older, but she still looks up to Sesshoumaru as her father-figure. Jaken continues to get abused in his duties, although he may have learned a little bit of his lesson. Nowadays, he mostly keeps his mouth shut around Sesshoumaru.

This new tale follows this lord. A new quest begins, and new things begin. New people come, and new people go. The winds of change will blow once more, and the sands of time will shift the circumstances, if only a little. Change is the way of the world, and cannot be fought forever. Time passes as the tide changes, and now begins a new story…


	2. Episode One

Episode One: The Ferocious Beast! Well… Sort of.  
Written by: Silver Kagami and Reina no Taisho

**Disclaimer: InuYasha and all of its characters do not belong to me. They are copyrighted to their original creators. I am not making any money off of this. Please don't sue me, I am very poor and I wouldn't be able to give much money anyway.  
The following characters were created by Silver Kagami: Nayru**

Sesshoumaru walked lethargically through the forest, looking for a place to rest for the night. Ah and Un followed close behind. The night was heavy, and so was his resolve. However, even after many long days of searching, he had not been able to track the sacred magical artifact that had caused him to begin traveling once again.

The "Sword of Genkaku" was a legendary weapon that was supposedly lost over a thousand years ago. As the legend went, it had the ability to create an illusion of anything that the heart could desire. Many believed it to be a myth, and Sesshoumaru had to admit he was one of those many. However, newly obtained information pointed not only to the existence of the sword, but to the location as well. Apparently, it lied with the Nikushoku tribe, a clan of highly intelligent Cat Demons. Sesshoumaru hated cat demons, but for the Genkaku, he would face a hundred of them.

Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly, and found that Ah, Un, and himself had stumbled into a clearing. A large tree rose from the ground only a few feet in front of him, and he decided that it would make a good resting place for the night. Clearing away some of the leaves that were at the base, he sat down and leaned his back against the trunk, closing his eyes slowly. It had been a long day, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was tired. Another day… And not one sign of the Nikushoku tribe.

The night air was cold, and it was a dark, starless night. Sesshoumaru still leaned against the tree, sleep tightening its grip on him further. However, just as it was about to consume him, he head a deep, vicious growl coming from above him. His eyes snapped open instantly, and he looked up. A pair of glowing, violet eyes glared back. Jumping up, he pulled out the Tokijin and got into a battle position, thinking it to be some malevolent demon.

There was silence for a few moments, both of them glaring at one another, when suddenly, a deep, sinister voice was heard. "Feeeeaaarrr meee…. For I am beast! Hear me roar! Grrrrr-meow!"

Sesshoumaru was taken aback for a second… Did he just hear a meow? Shaking his head, he looked up into the tree, more curious this time. "What the-" Without warning, a branch snapped, and a small figure fell from the tree, landing right in the middle of Sesshoumaru's face. The figure clung to him, its claws out. 

Sesshoumaru stood still for a few moments, shocked. Reaching his hand up angrily, he grabbed the tail of this "beast" and pulled as hard as he could, sending it flying through the air and into a tree. The "beast" crumpled to the ground, seemingly motionless. Sesshoumaru stared at it for a long time, unsure whether to go and see what had so unexpectedly attacked him, or to just leave. In the end, curiosity won out, and he cautiously walked over to the fallen figure. What he saw, he would never have expected.

It was a kitten. A small one, probably no longer than his hand, with white fur and a dark blue tip on the very edge of it's tail. Sesshoumaru scoffed, and shook his head, what a waste of time. Well, he definitely wasn't getting anymore sleep tonight. Scoffing silently, he got Ah and Un, and began to walk off again. He stopped suddenly, however, when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey! Just because you got beat up a little you are running? You coward! You call yourself a demon? Stay and fight!" The kitten was standing again, and glaring at him.  
"…" Sesshoumaru turned slightly, and looked at it. "Beat up…? You are the one that got beat up."

"I am not!" The kitten shot back, sounding angry. "You are a liar!" It cried, crouching down, then jumping at him with its claws out. Sesshoumaru looked down as the small streak of white shot at him, and winced as he saw that it had sunk its claws into the white, fluffy fur slung over his shoulder.

He growled warningly. "Get… Off…"

The kitten shook its head furiously, "Neva!" It cried, sinking its teeth in as well.  
Sesshoumaru slowly took the fur off from his shoulder and set it on the ground, observing the strange kitten now attached to his most prized possession. The kitten looked up at him and hissed, baring its fangs. "G-get back! I-I'll fight you! I swear!"  
Sesshoumaru stared at the kitten, giving it a death glare. However, the kitten was not phased, and merely continued to hiss at him, Growling and attempting to roar, although it sounded more like meowing. 

"…" Sesshoumaru sighed, realizing that the kitten showed no sign of leaving. "Woof."

The kitten's eyes widened in fear, and it shook slightly, and then shot up the tree once more. Sesshoumaru looked up, and saw only fearful, violet eyes that shined in the darkness. He shrugged, picking up his item that lay on the ground, and began to walk forward once again.

The kitten waited for a moment, but when it realized that Sesshoumaru was really leaving, it cried out, "H-hey! Wait! I'm not done with you yet!" It then jumped onto Ah and Un's back.

"Indeed." Sesshoumaru replied, his patience beginning to run thin. "And how exactly do you plan to stop me?"

"Just watch me!" The kitten cried, jumping forward. In midair, it transformed into a humanoid form, and landed about twenty feet in front of him. With lightning speed, it reached back and pulled out a bow and arrow, drawing the bowstring back, it aimed the arrow right at his heart.

Sesshoumaru was unimpressed. He examined the annoying cat-girl standing in front of him. Her light blue hair seemed out of place next to the dark, almost black sky. The ears that poked out of her head seemed a bit too large, and the tail a bit too long. The violet eyes were the same though, and now they seemed full of determination. He decided to shrug off the strange urge he had to just kill her and be on his way, but decided to give her one more warning. "Get out of my way. I won't ask you again."

The cat demoness looked unsure what to do. She stood for a few moments, and then slowly lowered her bow, stepping off to the side, giving him room to pass. Sesshoumaru gave her one more warning glance as he walked past with Ah and Un. 

The cat demoness watched him leave, and tilted her head to the side, trying to decide what she should do. She couldn't just let him get away… Waiting until he had disappeared from her sight, the cat demoness slowly began to follow him, her idea of "stalking" her prey. However, her idea of "stalking" must not have included staying hidden, for she still stood in plain sight.

Sesshoumaru sensed a presence behind him, and sighed, turning around. He raised his eyebrow slightly, noticing the cat demoness' strange behavior. "What are you doing?" He asked her flatly.

The cat demoness seemed very chipper about the whole ordeal. "I am stalking you!" She chirped. Sesshoumaru posed one more question. "Aren't you supposed to be hidden when you are stalking someone?"

The cat demoness seemed to be enthralled by the idea. "Really?" She questioned. "I had no idea!" She jumped into the bushes on the side of the small trail. "Am I hidden now?" She asked from the bushes, though her feline tail still remained visible.  
Sesshoumaru sighed. At this point, he was more than a little irritated. "Why don't you just go back to where you came from?

The cat demoness did nothing for a second, but slowly her head poked up from the bushes, her eyes looked semi-sad. "I-I can't…" She said, standing up once more and brushing herself off, then looking at him in the eye. "You see… I come from a tribe of cat demons. The Nikushoku. It was my job to protect their ancient treasure…. And well…" She looked to the side. "Let's just say that treasure got stolen, and I was framed… They recovered it, of course. But they thought I was the one who had done it. I was banished. They told me that if I was found on their territory again, I would be killed." She made a cutting motion across her neck, and looked down.

Sesshoumaru's breath caught in his throat. This girl was from the Nikushoku… That was the same tribe that he was trying to find. Even better, she had been a guard of the Genkaku. So she must know not only where the tribe was, but where the treasure was as well… She could definitely be of some use to him. Sure, she was annoying, but as soon as he found the treasure, he could just abandon her, or, if she refused to leave, kill her. The plan was flawless.

"Well…" He said, contemplating on how best to ask her without seeming suspicious. Then he got an idea. "I was banished from my people as well… We could travel together, if you like…"

The cat demoness instantly looked up, surprise written all over her face. "R-really? Are you serious?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, I am. They call me Sesshoumaru, and you are?"

"Nayru!" The girl said, seemingly ecstatic. "The name is Nayru!"

"Well… Nayru. We had better be going then. You can stand with Ah and Un there."

"Ah and Un?" She asked, questioningly.

"The dragons." Sesshoumaru said, then began walking again.

Nayru looked around, and saw that "they" were what she had jumped on before. Shrugging slightly, she walked over next to them, and walked alongside them as they followed Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru walked a bit in front of them, contemplating what had just taken place. It was a nice stroke of luck meeting someone from the Nikushoku tribe. Not only someone either, an actual guard, well… Ex-guard, of the legendary Genkaku. He felt so close to the sword, he could almost feel it in his hands. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this may turn into a very long journey…  
Authors Notes:

If ANYONE knows the name of Sesshoumaru's fluffy thingy, please tell me.


	3. Episode Two

Episode Two: Pratfalls, Vegetarians, and Fluffapopathy  
Written by: Silver Kagami and Reina no Taisho

**Disclaimer: InuYasha and all of its characters do not belong to me. They are copyrighted to their original creators. I am not making any money off of this. Please don't sue me, I am very poor and I wouldn't be able to give much money anyway.  
The following characters were created by Silver Kagami: Nayru**

Sesshoumaru realized soon enough that he was in need of direction to the territory of the Nikushoku. However, he couldn't just ask where the territory of the Tribe was. That would scare of the young girl, or at least make her suspicious of his intentions. No, he had to be cleverer than that.

"Now then, Nayru," he said. "Which land did you say you came from again?"

"Um, I didn't," Nayru said after awhile, looking puzzled. "But if you really want to know, it was in the land where the sun rises, opposite the Tiger."

"I see," said Sesshoumaru. He paused for a moment, and then continued. "That happens to be the direction in which I am traveling. You may not wish to accompany me any further, as we will most likely be nearing your old territory."

"No," Nayru said almost instantly, shaking her head. "I'm fine! So long as I don't set foot _inside_ the territory, I can be as close as I want!"

"Very well," said Sesshoumaru, in his normal flat tone. Inside, he was pleased that all was moving according to plan. Whatever elation he had was soon deflated, however, by Nayru's odd antics.

"Are we there yet?" she asked, in her usual peppy tone.

"No," Sesshoumaru replied flatly.

"…Are we there _yet_?"

"No…"

"Are we there…yet?"

"No." There was a warning tone in Sesshoumaru's voice, but Nayru didn't seem to notice.

"Are we there yet!" she asked enthusiastically.

"No!" Sesshoumaru growled, this time getting frustrated with her.

"…" Nayru stopped for a moment, and then asked him, "Where _are_ we going, Sesshy?"

"They call me Sesshoumaru," he said, trying hard for once to keep his temper. "And I will not tell you again, we are headed to retrieve something of importance to me."

"Which is?" Nayru asked curiously. Sesshoumaru didn't speak for a moment, as he pondered over what to tell the demoness.

"It is not of your concern," he said finally. "Besides, you will see soon enough." Nayru seemed to want to know more, but Sesshoumaru would answer her nothing. She finally gave up, and the company traveled in silence for a long while.

"Look!" Nayru chirped several hours later. Sesshoumaru didn't even glace over. It was only a weakling demon she had seen after all, why should he bother with it? Nayru thought different, however. "Hey ugly!" she called after it. "Yeah over hear! That's right, I'm talking to you!"

Sesshoumaru looked at her with an expression of pure loathing. Perhaps this girl was worth more trouble than it was worth…No; he told himself, she was necessary to the plan. Without her, he held a bigger risk of being stopped by the Nikushoku before he reached his goal.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but be irritated of the way Nayru was riling up the demon, however. She wasn't helping the situation; in fact, she was making it all worse. He watched as she charged at the demon, ready to draw her bow. But just as she was in the right position, she tripped and fell flat on her face.

"Owie!" Nayru cried as she pushed her self to her knees. "That hurt!" The demon raised its talon-like claw to strike her, but suddenly it was razed by a blast of demonic energy. Nayru looked back to see Sesshoumaru sheathing Tokijin. Without a word, he turned and began to leave.

After getting over the flat shock of seeing just what Sesshoumaru could do, Nayru scurried to her feet. She took one look at the scorch mark and stomped on it.

"Ha!" she said. "I told you I would take you down! You should have left while you had the chance!" She looked back towards Sesshoumaru, and then scrambled to follow him, tripping once more along the way. Still, Nayru had to come up with a new issue; Hunger.

"Sesshouma-ru!" she half-chanted. "I'm hun-gry! When do we eat?" Sesshoumaru looked up at the sky. The sun was already high, and he had hoped to be closer to the sword then he felt. Stopping to eat would prolong not only the journey but the time he had to spend with this…person. However, he couldn't have her collapsing either, so he decided it would be best to take a short break.

"Very well," he said. "We will stop for a short while." Nayru seemed quite happy about being able to rest. She leapt up onto a tree branch, leaning against the trunk. It was easy enough to tell that there would be no hunting done by her means, so Sesshoumaru took it upon himself to get food for once. However, things did not go according to plan.

"_What_ did you do?" asked Nayru, looked horrified.

"It's a deer," Sesshoumaru said flatly. "Surely you've seen one before…"

"Of course!" Nayru said, slightly insulted. "But you _killed_ it! How could you?" Sesshoumaru actually stared at her for a moment, before he spoke.

"Of course," he said. "How else do you expect to get food unless you kill?"

"Simple," Nayru chirped. "You just don't eat meat. That's why _I'm_ a vegetarian!" Sesshoumaru was baffled, though he didn't let it show. A _cat_ that was vegetarian? Was this girl out to make this journey even more miserable?

Sesshoumaru shook of the thoughts of confusion. He wouldn't take it any longer. He spoke in a growling voice, "Just eat it." Nayru shook her head.

"No!" she said, shoving it away.

"Eat."

"No!"

"Eat it."

"I'll eat it when you shove it down my throat!" Nayru called. Sesshoumaru looked from Nayru to the deer and back again. He got a dark look on his face. "_Just an expression, just an expression!_" Nayru squealed, looking terrified.

"…" Sesshoumaru left it at that. Nayru went and got her own food after awhile. Sesshoumaru knew he had snapped, and truthfully he was surprised when Nayru returned after leaving. He had scared her half to death when he had lost his patience, something he had been driven to a lot recently.

Later that night, after they had set up camp, Sesshoumaru was leaned up against a tree to rest. The girl had been grating on his nerves all day, and even he could only take so much. It wasn't long till he felt something on his right-side. He turned his head slightly, and caught sight of Nayru looking at his fluffy (once again, if you know what this is called, please do tell.).

"What is so fascinating?" he asked, a growl under-toned in his voice. Nayru looked up, all signs of her fear from earlier vanished. Still she remained silent for many long moments.

"…Fluffapopathy," she said suddenly. Sesshoumaru stared at her, and she repeated herself. Sesshoumaru just blinked. "Fluffapopathy. That's how this is, and that's how you are, too."

Sesshoumaru looked even more irritated, and he must have been. The dog demon stood up and moved clear to the other side of camp. Nayru felt a little hurt, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen happen before. After all, she had gotten used to be alone by then. He drifted off into sleep, where one thought seemed to prevail over others.

_Fluffapopathy…_


End file.
